Structural element



' STRUCTURAL ELEMENT Filed April 9, 1943 4 Sheets-Sheet l Tlg -E IE5 E 20 i I 4\ aj Enventor:

m Wm,

Gttornega- Aug. 14, p CORBIN I STRUCTURAL ELEMENT Filed April 9, 1943 4 Sheets-Shet 2 Snventor:

(Ittornega.

Augrl4, 1945. P. JQCQRBIN' v STRUCTURAL ELEMENT Filed April 9, 1943 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Philip'lCorbin, Sailisbfiflltlass. j: l 1 I Application zlprile,1943,.SierialNm482A99 f sol r-as. (crit que). v t M M thepiece from side to-sid'e, orbetween opposite This?inventi'oni-relates to the production of ornamental. structural elements for. use, forexample, as banisters, furniture legs, lamp stands, etc. ,J I

The invention has forits general object a method of forming an element of generally helical configuration .whereby such an element can be produced by simple operations and with minimumwaste of stock. i

The invention will best be understood from the following description of certain elements of the. character to which the invention relates and certain modes of procedure which, in accordancewith the invention, may be followed in producing the same, as illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, these, however, being chosen for. purposesof exemplification merely, as it is contemplated that the invention, as defined by the claimshereunto appended may be otherwise practiced without departure from its spirit and scope. i

Insaid drawings: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an elementembodyin'g the inventionin the form of a tableleg or the like,

"Fig; 2, is a. perspective view of the piece of stock from which the element shown in Fig. lis produced. a g i i Figs. 3 to 6- are perspective views illustrating the production of the element shown in Fig. 1 from the stock shown in Fig. 2.

Fig.7 is an end view of the element, illustrating diagrammatically the saving in stock efiected by the structure and mode of production.

Figs. 8 and 9 are views corresponding to Figs. 2 and 6, respectively, showing a modification.

Figs. 10 and 11 are views similar to Figs. 3 and 6, respectively, illustrating another modification.

Figs. 12 and 13 are views similar to Figs. 8 and 9, respectively, showing a further modification.

The element A shown in. Fig. 1 is of substantially constant and substantially square cross Section throughout its length and is longitudiiacesof saidpiece, and theqsections so formed are thereafter reassembled with matching plane faces thereof (that isto say, faces of corresponding size and shape), constitutingparts of the ex terior faces of theoriginal piece, in engagement with and joined to one another, and, the longitudinal corner :edges of the original piece at the axial center of the reassembly. Whilethe sep aration of the original piece into four sectionsby both of thetwoosinuous cuts ispreferablydone before the reassembly of the sections, as indicated in FigtlZ, the

procedure illustrated in Figs.t3to:6'may be employed. i l i As shown in-these figures-, the piece Bis first divided longitudinally by the sinuous cut 20 (Fig.

3) between th two'opposite 'plane faces- 24 and thereof, form-ing twosections l8-and 19 having matching sinuous faces 22 and 23. The two sections are then-separated and their-fiat outer faces 24 and 25 placed in juxtapositionand glued-together, as shown-inFig. 4. The result-' ing secondary piece" 1), having twoparallel-sinuous faces 22 and 23 and two plane parallel faces 26 and 21, is then divided longitudinally midway of the" faces 26 and 2-! (Fig.5) by the sinuouscut- 2| formin two compositesections Mandy-5| having complementary sinuous faces 32 and- 33 and one remaining. plane. face each, 26 and 21,v respectively. The planefaces 26 and 21 are then,

placed in juxtaposition and glued together re-- sulting'in'the helical element A shown in Fig. 6.

It will be seen that in the formation of the element A (shown'in Figs. 1 and 6) all of the material of the original pieceB (whoseoriginat cross sectional area is indicated substantially by. the dotted outline D in Fig. 7) is utilized without waste except such negligible amount as maybe incidental to forming the saw cuts 20 and 2!.

nally of generally helical configuration. In ac- The saving of material as compared to the waste which would be involved by working the element A out of a solid or unitary piece of stock is diagrammatically illustrated in Fig. 7, wherein the cross section of the solid piece required to I work out the element is indicated substantially by the dotted outline C, and it will be seen that such a piece would be of nearly four times the cross sectional area of the piece B required. The simplicity of the procedure above described as compared to that of working out the element from a solid piece will be obvious without further elaboration.

Where an element A (Fig. 11) having a longitudinal bore 35 to receive a reenforcing rod or (inthe case of a lamp stand) electric wiring Figs. 8. a nd 9), by building up an original stock piece B from several strips 40 and 4| of gluedtogether wood of contrasting colors, for example;

walnut and maple.

crossed by the sinuous cuts, thereby alternately The joining faces of the strips 40 are so disposed as to be repeatedly exposing parts of different strips along the sinu ous faces so that the variegated effect shown in 3 the element A illustrated in Fig. 9 is produced.

This variegated effect can be further developed by. building upthe stock piece B from a greater number of smaller strips of material of contrast-v ing jcolors disposed in alternating and staggered Y relationship, as shown in Fig. 12, thereby producing .the surface ornamentation of the element.

A3 shown in Fig. 13.

While the element embodying the invention, asv above described and as shown in the drawings, is of helical configuration and of constant crosssection throughout its length, it will be obvious, that, the helical configuration may be interrupted at its ends, or at one or more intermediate points, to facilitate framing, as by interrupting the sinuous cuts by straight portions: also that, ,by starting with an initially tapered stock piece, a correspondingly tapered element,

i=..,,e., an element having a cross section whose areaavaries at differentpoints in its length, will result. -'g I -1 s ,The article produced by the method above described is notclaimed herein, being. covered by the claims-of a divisional application filed November 21, 1944, Serial No. 564,522.

; I. claim: 1. The method of forming a generally helical structuralelement which comprises separating a piece of stock into sections by a plurality of longitudinal sinuouscuts disposed transverse to one another and extending entirely through said piece, ,and reassembling the sections by joining togetherfaces-thereof of corresponding size and shape and constituting parts of the faces-of the original piece. vr --2. Thelmethod of forming a structural element which c0.mprises separating .a ,parallelepipedal piece'ofj stock into sections by a plurality of longitudinal sinuous cuts disposed perpendicular to one another and each extending entirely through said piece, and reassembling the sections by joining together faces thereof of corresponding size and shape and constituting parts of the plane faces of the original piece.

3. The method of forming a structural element which comprises building up a piece of stock from strips of material of contrasting colors, separating said piece into sections by a plurality of longitudinal sinuous cuts disposed transverse to one another and each extending said strips being so disposed as to be intersected by said sinuous cuts, and reassembling the sections byJoining together the faces thereof of correponding size and shape and constituting parts of the faces of the original piece.

fLThe method of forming a structural element which comprises separating a parallelepipedal piece of stock into two sections by a longitudinal sinuous cut extending entirely therethrough between two opposite plane faces thereof, joining together said plane faces to form a secondary piece having two-parallel sinuousfaces and. two parallel plane faces, dividing said secondary piece into two sections by a second sinuous cut extending entirely therethrough between said last named plane faces to form sections each having one remaining plane face, and joining together the plane faces of said last named sections.

5. The method of forming a generally helical structural element which comprises separating into sections of substantially equal size a piece of stock of quadrilateral cross section by a plurality of longitudinal sinuous cutsdisposed transverse to one another and each extending completely through the piece between opposite faces thereof, and reassembling the sections by joinmg together faces thereof of corresponding size and shape and constituting parts of the faces of the original piece.

6. The method of forming a generally helical structural element which comprises separating a piece of stock into sections collectively constituting substantially the whole of said piece by cutting sai d piece longitudinally by a plurality of longitudinally sinuous cuts disposed transverse to one another and each extending entirely through said piece, and reassembling the sections by joining together faces thereof of corresponding size and shape and constituting parts of the faces of the original piece.

PHILIP J. CORBIN. 

